Therapeutic lamp unit



Jan. zo, 1931. c. H. BOYL'ES THERAPEUTIC LAMP UNIT Filed Feb. 4, 1926 I NV EN TOR.

f T'/ ORNEYS,

Patented Jan. 20, 1931 l iiiiiriioY -srarrsfraiaN novi-ica -CARROLL H. BOYLES, F ,MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN,ASSIGNOR T0 THE BURDICX 'COR- .PORATIONQ OF MILTON, WISCONSIN, ACOBPORATION 0F DELAWAREr THEBAPEUTIC Lai/iu UNIT Applioationled February 4, 192B..-.Seria1 No.. 85,944.

This invention frelateste therapeut lamp units.

It is particularlyy `concerned with 'lampy units for converting electrical energy into radiant energy largely confined to the visible and infra-red Zones of thespectrum.`

It has been found that therapeutically the human tissue isgreatly benefited when sub-A f trum; red, orange and yellow. This combi- .fia-tion of rays in. which thefultra violet rays are practically excluded affords a beneficial therapeutic agent where heat penetration is desired because the longerwave length infrared rays penetrate the body'tissues muchv sleeper than do the shorter visible and ultra violet rays.

Heretofore resistance elements havebeen 'formed ot non-metallic -material l.through which the electric current-was passed, and in use the elements would heat npat their opposite terminal -ends and cause arcing which would decrease the eliciency of the element and finally the element would stop functioniii g.

One of the objects of this inventioiniis to, provide an improved therapeutic lampy unitA particularly adapted to produce light rays at,

the visible and invisible red end of the spectrum, and a method of making the same.y

Another object is to provide a unit having a bare non-metallic ray emitting` body Which does not itself carry the current.

A further object of the invention is to 'prom vide such a unit in which terminal arcing is eliminated.

.A further object of the invention is to provide such a unit having a predetermined fixed resistance and desired Watt and heat capacity.

vide a therapeutic lamp unit and method of producing the same in which the resistance element is formed of a resistance Wire Wound on a tube or other body of insulating ma-,v tcrial and embedded and completely envels 1,;

oped in amaterial which willemitthe.lo nger vlight .rays almost exclusively Vwhen, properly heated by the electric current flowing thriugh the Wire. y

A further. ,object of the invention isto pro-l vide a unit and method of V`producing, the

same in which the resistancewire and its embedding material Y have approximately the saine-coefficient of expansionand willintimately engage each other atyaryingdegrees of temperatures.

A further object of the invention iste provide a method lfor forming atherapeutic Llamp unit of simple,construction` which is very efficient in use.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing .inwhich the same reference characters indicate the same parts in'all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side view of oneof the elements partly in section to show interior construction; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken 0n line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Referring to the vdrawing the numeral 5 indicates a tube or rod member formed of insulating material andprovided with a groove 6 vwhich trends spirally from vone' end to the other. A Icoiled length of resistance wire `7 is wound around the insulating memberwithin the spiral groove and the opposite terminal tends 8 are extended through small openings .9, formed inmetal washers or endmembers l0 mounted on the opposite endportions of the, insulating member 5. The insulating ,memberv with the coiled resistance wire there- Y on is then placed and centered in a paper tube l1V as indicated by dotted vlines in Fig. 2. A

Vblack non-metallic` embedding envelope material12 of silicon carbide in a liquid state and mixed with a suitable binder is ,then

poured into the paper tube and will flow all around insulating member and the resistance A further obj ect of the invention is to provelement 13 is` then placed within a drying oven having aztemperature of about 17 5 degrees F to have .the screenmaterial set and become .thoroughly dry.J ,The setand dried element is then placed in an oven having a temperature or" about 1000 degrees F. to burn off the paper tube and to thoroughly cure the screen material.

The embedding envelope material is formed of silicon carbide ground to a tine powder to pass through a 180 to 200 mesh screen while still maintaining its crystal formation and is mixed with a binder of nonconducting material, such ior instance as silicate of soda', sutiicient to form a paste which may be easily poured. Y y v When the element 13 is set and cured, it may be mounted on the end or" a plug 14 and connected thereto by a screw 15 and by supporting rods 16. Metal washers 17 are interposed between the element and the plug and the screw 15 extends through the washers and is connected to one end of the resistance the plug is placed in an electric lamp socket.

rlhe supporting rods 16 at tneir upper por-A tions are connected to the upper end of the element and the wire 7 by means ot a screw 19 and washers 20. Said supporting rods 1rtend downwardly in spaced relation troni the element and each other and at their lower ends are connected lto the threaded metal member 21 which forms the other electrical terminal of the plug.

It is to be understood that the resistance unit may be made invarious shapes and mounted for use in a manner other than shown without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In use the plug is threaded into a lamp socket and the current turned on. The resistance wire will become kheated and also heat the screen material cause it to glow medially of its terminal ends.

The black silicon carbide wire-embedding envelope serves to increase the light radiating surface and to give a substantially uniform distribution and emission of light rays from the radiating surface. The rays thus emitted are ofthe longer wave lengths toward the red end of the visible spectrum and into the still longer wave length intra-red rays andV since the non-metallic embedding envelope is hard and rigid it maybe used without any protective cover and in consequence there is nothing to obstruct the free passage of the rays from the unit to the point of application.

Particular attention is directed to the tact that in the use of the element the portion medial oi' the terminal ends of the elementV will become hot and glow while the terminal end portions will remain at a lower temperature as compared to the ordinary elements which are and become very hot at their termanufactured.

l ll'fhat l claim as my invention is: V1. The method of torming a resistance elementv tor producing infra-red energy, which Vconsists in mounting a resistance element upon any insulating member, and then coating 4the resistance element with a compound formed ot non-metallic heat conducting materia-l and a suitable binder while in a semiliquid state, then placing the element in an oven 'to set and dry, and then subjecting the element to a high degree of heat 'to cure the same.

2, The method o1c forming a resistance element and embedding material for producing intra-red energy, which consists in providing an insulating member, winding coiled wire around the insulating member and then coating Lne insulating member and the resistance wire with a compound formed or" non-metallic heat conducting material and a suitable binder while in a liquid state, then placing the element in an oven having a temperature oi approximately degrees F. to set and dry and then subjecting the element to a temperature ot approximately 1000 degrees l?. to cure the same.

3. The method of forming a resistance element and embedding material for producing infra-red energy, which consists in providingl an insulating member, winding coiled wire around the insulating member and then inserting the element in an inflammable tube, pouring a compound formed of non-metallic heat conducting material and a suitable binder into the tube and around the wire while in a liquid state, placing the element in an oven to set and dry, and then subjecting the element to a high temperature to burn oli" the iniiammable tube and cure the element.

ln. testimony whereor", l atl'ix my signature.

CARROLL H. BOYLES. 

